Craving Beyond the Farplane
by Tru Mel Meiko Mei Ling
Summary: AU. Loosely following certain event of the game. Auron/Yuna, Minor Tidus/Rikku, Minor Lulu/Wakka Disclaimer: I do not own these characters


A/N: Old story. Yes, it is a Yuna/Auron. lol Minor Tidus/Rikku and Wakka/Lulu

-

The Luca stadium shook with anxious fans, as the Blitzball sphere filled with water.

Every fan adored each and every player on all of the competing teams.

The awe inspiring cheers ......and catcalls, ran circles around the Besaid Arouchs' team captain and slithered through his ear.

"Agh!" the captain exclaimed, as he smacked himself in the ear to knock out the invisible slimy creature.

"Cap'n Wakka!", two of this team players called concretely to their leader, "Is everything alright?"

Wakka grunted, and stiffly shifted his weight to face them. "Ya, ya. Everyt'ing's okay." He then put a hand to his head and exhaled. "Whoo. Looks like d'ere's gonna be anoder game grillin', without us, ya?"

His team sadly hung their heads in shame and remorse; a couple regretting the outcome of the game they had just played.

Wakka could feel their would'ves and could'ves and clapped his hands to get them at full attention. "Hey 'ey, listen up now! What we did was what we did. Dat game, couldn't have been a bettah one for me and our whole team! We made it into the Finals! And dat's good enough for me." He chuckled. "Who knows? Meybe we'll score anodah goal. But dis time, it's up to you all and the new guy. Jus' like I said, 'win or lose, I'm quittin' the team to become a full time Guardian'."

A short pause set in, with light comments sprinkled throughout.

The team captain blinked in thought. "Hey, speaking of which, where is da new guy, anyway?"

______________________________________________________________

Yuna nodded her head and bowed to Lulu and Kimahri. "I-I see. Thank you."

Lulu replied with a small nod of her own, whereas Kimahri simply swished his tail in approval.

The young Summoner was all smiles when she came back up.

Lulu took note of this immediately and gestured thoughtfully. "Ah. I see you're still quite proud that we've located Sir Auron, one of your father's most honored and beloved guardians."

"Yes!" Yuna exclaimed with an enthusiastic bow. Her heart was pounding at the thought of recruiting the legendary Sir Auron into her entourage. '_One of my father's most honored and beloved guardians---Sir Auron!'_ She gulped from the joy as her cheeks ran a hot streak of pink, filling her with an emotion unspeakable by her limitation of unknown vocabulary.

"Yuna..", Lulu's soothing voice drifted Yuna out of her daydream.

"Huh? Oh! Yes??"

Lulu chuckled. "You're....turning red."

"What?!" Yuna shrieked as she quickly lifted her fingers to stroke her burning cheeks, "I- I am not!", she stammered.

Lulu found this quite amusing, as did Kimahri, who carried, to what looked like, a smirk across his muzzle.

"Yuna, calm down." Kimahri addressed gently to the young summoner.

"Yes, please do get a hold of yourself, Yuna. You've got a good and determined head on your shoulders. Don't lose it drifting in the clouds."

With still a hint of a blush across her cheeks, Yuna adverted her gaze and bowed nervously to her comrades. "Ye-yes. Forgive me."

A moment later, the three began to wonder what was keeping the others.

Lulu sat leaning up against the railing to the exit of Luca with her arms crossed.

Kimahri stood looking off into the distance of the ocean swishing his tail, while Yuna was patiently waiting, and lightly pacing as well.

Finally, after a short while, she looked up to Lulu. "Lulu, what's keeping the others? Have they found Sir Auron, yet?"

Lulu was silent for a while, and let a blink pass before answering:, "I don't know what's keeping them, but if they don't show up soon, we will leave them and Sir Auron behind."

Yuna gasped.

"Of course..not without your approval...first.", Lulu added smugly.

Yuna exhaled pleasantly. "Well...then, I think...I'll go and see them..."

"See who, lady summoner?"

A sharp intake of breath was heard from Yuna, as from Lulu as they about faced to locate the owner of the voice.

The gruff and mysterious new tones belonged to none other than the legendary Sir Auron himself.

At the sight of him, Yuna's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. She was so overcome with surprise she could hardly speak. Her words ended up getting stuck together and forming a lump in her throat.

"S...Sir...Auron...?"

"Please!", Lulu cut in, rushing to Yuna and rubbing her shoulders gently to get her to calm down. "Shhh, patience, Yuna. Take it easy."

Yuna coughed in reply, but nodded in agreement. She was so excited, she couldn't believe it was the actual Sir Auron standing before her.

_thump thump_

"Ah...Sir Auron.."

"Please, no need for words, Lady Yuna.", he cautioned, his voice steady and firm.

"Oh..."

Auron nodded to her, trying to crack a smile. "The Daughter of High Summoner Braska. It is indeed a pleasure."

"Oh no..", Yuna began, coming out of her brief shyness and stepping directly in front of Auron, "the pleasure is entirely mine." She finished with a bow.

Sir Auron looked at her; his eyes meeting with the bra-strap that tautly spanned the width of her back; his gaze tracing lightly over the peach tones of her tender skin that peeked out from all around.

He could feel his armor getting warmer from the glimpse of her fair skin and the faint scent of her shampoo wasn't helping much either.

The young ones will do that to a man.

"Yes, well.. enough.", he added, giving his full attention and and respect to Yuna's eyes other than elsewhere, "We master our time making the best of it." He turned his attention to Lulu. "Where's our itinerary? Where are we headed?"

_thump thump _Yuna's heartbeat started another protest and she felt her cheeks warming up again.

"I can't believe it's really Sir Auron.", she whispered. Yet, while the others were occupied with Sir Auron, Yuna found her gaze fleeting upwards.

The clouds had looked peaceful and happy floating and melting into the sun kissed yellow sea below.

Just as her thoughts started to linger and wander, a familiar voice graced her ears.

"Ey!", Wakka called from the entrance, "Wha's up wit' all of da commotion? Wow! It's Sir Auron, ya?"

Yuna giggled and nodded as Lulu concluded her talk with Auron and went to meet with Wakka.

With crossed arms she looked sternly at him.

Wakka knew that look a little too well. When Lulu stood like that, it meant someone was going to get chewed out. And more than often, it was him. It was scary, but she certainly looked attractive in that position; at least Wakka thought so.

As they engaged in their usual squabble of a conversation, Auron had taken a disinterest in waiting to leave so soon and allowed his eyes wander.

Little did he know, Yuna was allowing her eyes to wander around a little as well. Without realizing it, she was watching every move he made. It didn't even occur to her that she was staring at him, but what a sight that legend was to see.

His features were so calm and wise. She was half tempted to touch his face. As the thought lingered and built upon itself, Yuna took an unknown step forward, as if she were going to really go up to Auron to stroke his face.

Feeling another's eyes solely on him, Sir Auron automatically turned to Yuna, tossing her out of her daydreaming folly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed when she caught herself of what she was doing, "Oh...I'm...uh....I..Sir Auron I.." In shame, of staring she hung her head and turned away, nervously rubbing her arm.

"No need for apologies", he answered, instantly appearing by her side. Yuna inhaled as her breath nearly got caught in her throat. His moves were so quick!

The young summoner was impressed by his speed, but more overtaken by his scent.

"Mistress Yuna, is everything all right?", Auron's husky voice called urgently to her, bringing her out of her trance.

Yuna flinched, as she turned to look at him, finding her face rather close to his. She could see down his jacket, they were so close.

Hesitantly, her eyes met with his, and she faltered in her speech. "Ah---Sir Auron...I--"

"Please, Yuna,", he stated breathlessly, while pinning her in place with his cold brown eyes. "Do not speak."

"Oh...", Yuna's voice managed to slip out in the form of a whisper. Sir Auron was so close to her, that the very vapors of his breath started to infiltrate her nostrils.

The smell was faint, but it did not smell human.

Feeling an uneasy churn in the pit of her stomach, her hand instinctively encircled around it, and she took a step back from him.

His breath carried the same unorthodox redolence as that of the Farplane.

What?

The Farplane?

Yuna's eyes fleeted up to his, wide with questions and curiosity.

It was true that Sir Auron had aged quite a lot since she had last seen him with her father and Sir Jehct.

That was 10 years ago.

But, could it be that something had happened to occur such a matter?

Yuna didn't want to believe, nor think of such things, yet...there was a strange sparkle in his eye that dared her to know more about him.

Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, she bit her lip, then readied herself to ask.

"Uh...Sir Auron..?"

He raised his eyebrows at the perplexity in her voice, sounding pleasing to his ears.

"Yes?", he asked, nearing closer to her.

Yuna found herself adverting her gaze, and nervously fidgeting with each step that he took towards her. Why was she doing this to herself?!

She was a Summoner, before she was a young adolescent! Her duty as a Summoner and her pilgrimage came before any and all personal feelings!

Personal feelings...?

Why would Sir Auron be involved?

She would admit that there was some kind of mystic aura around him--one that requested to be alone when prompted a question; yet his eyes told a different story.

His story. The story of his life.

Yuna bit her lip. This was getting way too intense. In the back of her mind, she wished for some kind of diversion to get her out of this tense atmosphere.

Miraculously, her request was granted.

"Finally! Ya made it!" Wakka's voice vociferated across the entrance, startling everyone around him, as he "welcomed" Tidus' arrival.

The young one appeared rather dispirited as he dragged his feet. His devoid eyes aimlessly rolling over the terrain, stopping for a second to recognize each party member. When his eyes met with Sir Auron, however, he sharply adverted his gaze.

It wasn't the fact that he was standing so close to Yuna the got him in a fit.

Just looking at that enigmatic bundle of gin and tonic triggered the previous conversation he had with him; finding out that his father was indeed alive, but was now the reincarnate of materialistic hatred from all the people and fiends in all of Spira.

Not to mention a living spawn of Yu Yevon's chronic and sadistic summoning trips.

Auron, catching sight of the son of Jecht, gave one final glance to Yuna before moving on to meet with him.

Yuna wordlessly watched him go, as her chance and opportunity to ask Auron about his connection with the Farplane malformed into a snake and simply slithered away from right under her nose.

-Mel


End file.
